Friday, September 24, 2010

The Truth

This week’s psyche is a no brainer: it’s Jack LaLanne’s 96th birthday. Yeah, yeah, the guy from the juicer commercials, as all you pop-culture-ites now know him, was—and still is—the MAN in the world of fitness. He almost single handedly invented the fitness movement and practiced what he preached in the most profound way. His birthday challenge accomplishment are not only legendary but were so far ahead of their time that none have been repeated. At his 95th birthday party (I was lucky to be able to attend) Arnold Schwarzenegger summed him up pretty well:

“Come to the beach and do some chin-ups with me, Arnold,” he’d say to me. “He didn’t tell me that we were going to do chin-ups for one hour straight without stopping!”

Now that I just re-read them I can no longer sit still. I wish I had a 50 degree pool to strap myself into but, instead, I’ll just head out to my gym.

"I train like I'm training for the Olympics or for a Mr. America contest, the way I've always trained my whole life. You see, life is a battlefield. Life is survival of the fittest." Then he segued into a mantra I'm sure I heard dozens of times as a very young boy: "How many healthy people do you know? How many happy people do you know? Think about it. People work at dying, they don't work at living. My workout is my obligation to life. It's my tranquilizer. It's part of the way I tell the truth--and telling the truth is what's kept me going all these years." - Jack LaLanne

Anyone who pulls 70 boats with 70 people across Long Beach Harbor (with his hands and feet bound) on his 70th birthday is, perhaps, cuckoo. But it when it comes to health and fitness I'm going to listen to that guy with a lot more interest then some donut eating yahoo that spent a few years in a classroom.

Fitness and nutrition are applied science. I'm championing the guy who applies it best.

I do agree with that, but his methods are old school. It is true that old school is sometimes way better, but to be honest we have to take advantage of every single modern era science. Having that old school attitude is good and I abide by it most of the time, but when it comes to complicated stuff, modern day science works. And of course you can't really compare Jack to some retarded fat guy who took some bio class in high school. Lalanne indeed is the father of fitness. He was a true pioneer and there is no doubt about that, but modern science in it's own category is right.

P.S- I respect the guy and his liver that can handle that power shake (taste and absorption) :P

I am 24 and to me Jack is incredible. He motivates me. I want to be 80 years old and see my great grandchildren. He is an inspiration. And anybody that says crap against him doesn't know what their talking about. He's probably outlived your whole family line.

@anonymous, he was great but not mine. My grand mother got to 104. She wasn't a great cook but she out lived her children. Her only vice was baseball and she swore by rhubarb (beats me). The only thing broke down on her were her eyes that she had surgery on and was able to see perfectly when she checked out of this planet. I think ya go when you go but quality of life is what we should strive for. At least that's why I've decided to get it together.

@anonymous, he was great but not mine. My grand mother got to 104. She wasn't a great cook but she out lived her children. Her only vice was baseball and she swore by rhubarb (beats me). The only thing broke down on her were her eyes that she had surgery on and was able to see perfectly when she checked out of this planet. I think ya go when you go but quality of life is what we should strive for. At least that's why I've decided to get it together.

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I'm a human lab rat and head of fitness and nutrition development at Beachbody. If our products don't work you can blame me. When I'm not testing training and nutritional theories on myself I'm studying, writing, climbing, riding, running, racing, exploring, or playing with my wife and the dogs.